DA welcomes sacking of health official

11 March 2015

I welcome the Gauteng Health Department's dismissal of Mr Abey Marokoane, Chief Director of Risk Management and Internal Control, who was suspended in December last year for alleged corruption concerning hospital security contracts.

Marokoane was suspended after he was arrested on November 27 last year and released on bail after appearing in the Specialised Commercial Crimes Court in Pretoria the next day.

According to department spokesman Prince Hamnca he was fired for failing to disclose that he was facing charges of fraud and money laundering. He was not fired on grounds of fraud as this is a separate process that will be determined in court.

I am pleased that the department has acted swiftly in this case, unlike other cases where officials are suspended with pay for long periods of time.

For instance, we have still not been told why the department's Chief Financial Officer Ndoda Biyela.was suspended in August last year, and why his case has taken so long to finalise. Another case that has dragged on is that of Dr James Mwesigwa, who was suspended on November 2013 after he was accused of taking the brains and heart of a dead woman out of the Diepkloof mortuary in a bucket.

I suspect that more officials may be implicated in corruption in the award of hospital security contracts worth R265 million.

Yesterday I submitted documents to the Auditor General that show that the most expensive security company was chosen for 6 hospitals, costing an extra R16.2 million for the two-year contracts.

There is a lot of rot in this department that needs to be cleaned out as soon as possible.

Statement issued by Jack Bloom MPL, DA Gauteng Shadow MEC for Health, March 11 2015

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